Welcome, everybody. Hope you’re cozy, holed up and weathering this premiere and pilot week with me. Even if we’re not hiding from a Kraken. For the first episode, Leonard remained on his party yacht and Sheldon and Penny exchanged their passive-aggressive thoughts on the matter. I thought it kind of sweet Sheldon missed Leonard so much. Both episodes also featured a new side to Sheldon: an emotional one. Twice, we saw him at his most volatile, examined under a microscope. When the episodes turned suddenly serious (see, “Here’s something you don’t know about me: you just hurt my feelings”),...

Are two episodes too much for one article? Have I been out of the writing loop for far too long? Has HIMYM spent too long a summer off the air? Perhaps. We better get started. I love that they didn’t repeat too many jokes. Too many. Telepathic conversations are more than okay. I also loved the balance in stars and guest stars. Who else feels like they’d have much better road trips with Daphne driving? I’d even let her pick the music just to hear her sing along. But two things stuck out in both episodes prevalently: the filmography, and...